“The Da Chu royal family killed my father and brother and insulted our heroes. From this day forward, I sever all ties of grace and righteousness with the Da Chu royal family – we shall have no further connection!”
Mo Xiuyao’s resolute voice proclaimed that the Mo Army’s iron cavalry, which had protected Da Chu for over a hundred years, would henceforth have no connection with Da Chu. Though the Mo Army had served as a barrier against Xiling’s advance in Da Chu’s northwest, the southern Nanzhao and northern Rong borders would no longer see those unwavering black figures that had stood guard for a century. The Mo Army had protected Da Chu for a hundred years, and on this night finally announced its true end. No one could say anything, not even Mo Jingli, and the Da Chu officials dared to rebuke them. Complete silence fell over the city tower as everyone unconsciously looked up at the young couple standing shoulder to shoulder in the main seats. The same thought occurred to everyone simultaneously: the era of chaos had truly arrived.
The subsequent banquet continued with the usual music and dance, but none of the guests paid attention to the alluring dancers or the moving melodies. Almost as soon as Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li withdrew, all the guests followed suit. They needed to return to discuss this urgent matter – no one had the mind to appreciate wine and entertainment anymore.
Early the next morning, the Ding Prince’s declaration from the city tower the previous night had already been rapidly dispatched in all directions through various channels by different factions. But despite their shock, none of the envoys from Xiling, Northern Rong, Nanzhao, or Da Chu took their leave early that morning. The meeting hall in the Ding Prince’s mansion was packed with people early in the morning. Many had dark circles under their eyes, clearly having not slept well. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li entered the hall side by side, and everyone hurriedly rose to bow, “Greetings to the Prince and Princess Consort.” After the couple took their seats, Mo Xiuyao smiled casually, “At ease, everyone please be seated. General Zhang, and Feng San, what’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well last night?”
Feng Zhiyao rolled his eyes – last night it wasn’t just the envoys from the four nations and common people who were startled by their lord. He, Feng San, had received quite the shock himself. The prince hadn’t given any prior notice, and when he received and opened the silk scroll, if not for his great composure, he might have thrown it away in surprise. After managing to stay calm and read through the text, no one knew that Feng Zhiyao’s hands were still secretly trembling when he returned to his seat. Feng San felt deeply wounded. Mo Xiuyao looked at his subordinates’ varied expressions with a beaming smile and asked, “What? Are you all frightened? Scared?”
“My lord should have done this long ago, what do we have to fear?” Lu Jinxian said in a loud voice. Others quickly agreed, and the hall became filled with excited chatter and a lively atmosphere.
“My lord, now that we’ve resolved to break with Da Chu, we can clear up the misunderstandings that the people of the northwest and even all of Da Chu have about you and the Ding Prince’s mansion,” Xu Hongyu said calmly. Mo Xiuyao nodded, “What are Master Xu’s thoughts?” Xu Hongyu replied, “We should take the initiative and clearly announce to the world the grievances between the Da Chu royal family and the Ding Prince’s mansion. Though many common people may be illiterate, they are not unreasonable. Right and wrong will be judged by public opinion.” Feng Zhiyao agreed, “Master Hongyu speaks truly. If we announce it to the world now, by the time last night’s news reaches the capital, Mo Jingqi’s misdeeds will already be known to all. I’d like to see how he tries to turn the tide.” Others also voiced their agreement with Xu Hongyu’s words. When Mo Jingqi had previously worked hard to blacken the Ding Prince’s reputation, the prince’s mansion hadn’t offered any rebuttal – they had been waiting for today. The more the common people had hated and misunderstood the Ding Prince’s mansion before, the angrier they would be when they learned the truth. Of course, this anger would be directed at Mo Jingqi.
Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li naturally had no objections. Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Hongyu and said, “Then we’ll trouble Master Hongyu with this task.” As Xu Hongyu was already a renowned scholar across the land, having him handle this matter would naturally be twice as effective with half the effort. Xu Hongyu nodded in acceptance.
After dismissing the various generals and officials who had come to the mansion early in the morning, only a few trusted confidants remained, along with Zhou Yu, the governor responsible for Ruyang City’s administration. Though Zhou Yu was still young, he had handled administrative matters in recent days if not exceptionally then at least competently without any mistakes. Given his age and experience, this was already quite good, and his conscientious and serious character had left both Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li very satisfied.
“Governor Zhou, have any of the envoys from Xiling and Northern Rong submitted notices of departure today?” Ye Li asked.
Zhou Yu rose and respectfully replied, “Your Highness, we have not yet received any farewell documents from the various nations’ envoys. However, early this morning the Crown Prince of Xiling’s Southern Pacification King, Northern Rong’s Seventh Prince, and Da Chu’s Prince Li all left the city early, saying they wished to appreciate the northwestern scenery.” Ye Li smiled gently and said, “Let them be. The envoys from various nations are our guests, we must ensure they feel at home. I hope Governor Zhou will pay extra attention to this matter – if there are any issues, just send someone to report to the prince’s mansion. Of course, if anyone doesn’t follow the rules and tries to cause trouble in the northwest, Governor Zhou need not be polite. The two thousand five hundred men of the Black Cloud Cavalry’s Eagle Army Division stationed outside the city are at your disposal at any time.” Speaking of the Black Cloud Cavalry’s organization, Ye Li couldn’t help but furrow her brow – she had been used to numerical designations before, and these various flowery army names made her somewhat dizzy. The Black Cloud Cavalry had about fifty thousand men in total, divided into Eagle, Lion, and Tiger Armies. Each army had about sixteen or seventeen thousand men, further divided into five divisions of about three thousand men each. The Eagle Army was the one stationed near Ruyang.
Zhou Yu was moved – given his age and experience, he had never expected to receive such trust and important responsibilities from the Prince and Princess Consort. He quickly said, “Please be assured, Your Highnesses, I will not fail your trust.”
Mo Xiuyao had seen his thoughts and nodded, “I have never liked appointing people based on seniority and age. Earlier, when you proved capable of handling Ruyang City’s civilian affairs, the Princess Consort and I entrusted the city to you. Just focus on your duties with peace of mind.” Zhou Yu suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and respectfully said, “I accept your command, I take my leave.” Watching Zhou Yu turn to leave, Xu Qingchen smiled and said, “My lord knows how to manage his subordinates well, no wonder the Mo Army is so united.” Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Young Master Qingchen is too kind. My subordinates are all rough men, to tell the truth, we hardly have any civil officials. We promoted Zhou Yu out of necessity. Fortunately, he is diligent and careful, which is quite good. In the future, we’ll need Young Master Qingchen and the two masters to help more.” Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow, his smile calm and peaceful, “Does my lord trust the Xu family?” Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said, “If I didn’t trust you, why would I do all this? Moreover… if I can’t trust the Xu family, who can I trust? I can’t personally handle everything, can I? These Mo Army fellows – they’re fine leading troops into battle, but asking them to handle administrative matters would probably be harder than taking their lives.”
Lu Jinxian nodded repeatedly in complete agreement to the side. When they first occupied the northwest and replaced many officials, these generals had all temporarily managed local affairs. Those days were simply unbearable to recall.
After some light conversation, everyone’s expressions turned serious again as they discussed important matters. Xu Hongyu asked, “Now that the northwest has truly drawn a clear line with Da Chu, what are my lord’s primary plans?”
Mo Xiuyao respectfully said, “Please guide me, Master.”
Xu Hongyu shook his head and said, “My lord need not be so polite, surely you have your ideas without needing my guidance. In my opinion, the first matter is probably to standardize official positions across all regions, and… my lord’s true positioning for the Mo Army and northwest.”
Mo Xiuyao fell silent for a moment, then said, “Standardizing official positions is indeed imperative, but I don’t understand what Master means about the so-called positioning of the Mo Army and northwest.”
Xu Hongyu looked at him and said, “Now that the northwest has no connection with Da Chu, there is no longer a relationship of subordination. So what are my lord’s plans for the future of the northwest and Mo Army? To maintain the status quo, each holding our territory? Or to expand our borders… and unify the realm?” The final four words “unify the realm” were spoken very softly by Xu Hongyu, but they struck the listeners’ ears like earth-shattering thunder. Perhaps it wasn’t appropriate to speak of this so soon after breaking from Da Chu, but it was also the most realistic question. The Mo Army held the northwest surrounded by enemies on all sides. If Mo Xiuyao had no ambition to expand its territory, then the Northwest would eventually have to choose a strong nation to rely on. If so, it would be almost like returning to the old path of the Ding Prince’s mansion, or even worse than before. Therefore, the Mo Army could only move forward and absolutely could not retreat. Moving forward meant expanding territory and unifying the realm – this had been the aspiration of generations of Mo Army princes and soldiers. But for many years they had been constrained by the royal family and always failed at the critical moment. However, if Mo Xiuyao were to declare himself emperor now, regardless of how many reasons he had, in the eyes of the world the name of traitor would be unavoidable.
# Chapter 216: The City of Li in the Northwest
[Previous content remains unchanged…]
While the Ding Prince’s mansion had blood feuds with both the current emperor and the previous emperor for killing their father and brother, breaking with Da Chu was one thing. But if they were to overthrow Da Chu, they would inevitably bear the name of traitors. Xu Hongyu calmly looked at Mo Xiuyao – this young Ding Prince had endured countless hardships, but he also carried the glory and reputation of the Ding Prince’s mansion built over nearly a hundred years. Could he bear such a name and its consequences?
Mo Xiuyao suddenly let out a soft laugh, his eyes calm and resolute as he looked at Xu Hongyu. He smiled faintly and said, “Master Hongyu need not test me. Since I can break with Da Chu, why should I care about mere empty titles? The blood debt of killing my father and brother – I must make Mo Jingqi pay!” Xu Hongyu fell silent for a moment, then rose and cupped his hands to Mo Xiuyao, “In that case, please give your orders, my lord.”
Mo Xiuyao pondered for a moment, then spoke: “Rename Ruyang City to Li City, and establish the reign title as Yongding.” Everyone started. Feng Zhiyao reminded him, “My lord, what about the state name?”
Mo Xiuyao glanced at him, raising an eyebrow with a smile, “Who said we need to establish a state name?”
Everyone fell silent – what did it mean to establish a reign title but no state name? Xu Qingchen, who had been quietly listening from the side, looked up and asked, “Does my lord mean to temporarily refrain from ascending the throne?” Mo Xiuyao waved his hand carelessly, “The northwest is but a small piece of land – declaring oneself emperor would just be self-entertainment. What need do I have for such empty imperial titles? Under my rule, I am a prince when I say I’m a prince, and an emperor when I say I’m an emperor!” Everyone understood – the reign title was just to distinguish from Da Chu’s calendar, and without an emperor there naturally was no state name. Seeing that everyone still seemed hesitant, Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “Even if I were to establish a state, I couldn’t do it so poorly, could I? The coronation ceremony alone would be extremely costly. Where’s the imperial palace? Where’s the imperial city? With just this small piece of northwest territory, I’d be embarrassed to hold any coronation ceremony. Let’s all make do and save some money.” Would he be like those fools who dream of being emperor, declaring a dynasty just because they occupied some small city? If he couldn’t unify the realm, how could Mo Xiuyao have the face to declare himself founding emperor?
Xu Hongyu sighed lightly and nodded, “It is good that my lord has such aspirations. Let’s proceed as you say.”
The day after the Ding Prince’s heir’s full-month celebration, the Ding Prince’s mansion once again dropped an earth-shattering bombshell. With Ruyang City as the base, the Ding Prince formally announced his control over five prefectures and seventeen cities west of Flying Swan Pass. Ruyang City was renamed Li City, and a new reign title of Yongding was established. From this day forward, the northwest region west of Flying Swan Pass was officially declared separate from Da Chu’s territory.
In the guest residence, the Southern Pacification King was also startled when he heard the news from his subordinates. “Li City… Yongding… Has Mo Xiuyao truly resolved to break away from Da Chu completely?” Lei Tengfeng, who had just hurriedly returned from outside, put down his teacup and curled his lip disdainfully, “If I were Mo Xiuyao, not immediately marching troops into the capital would already be showing restraint.” Lei Tengfeng neither understood nor respected Mo Jingqi’s self-destructive actions as emperor. The Southern Pacification King glanced at his son and smiled faintly, “You look down on Mo Jingqi – do you think you would do better than him if you were in his position?”
Lei Tengfeng frowned, knowing his father wouldn’t ask such an obvious question without reason.
The Southern Pacification King wasn’t looking for his answer, and sighed lightly with a smile, “Having the Ding Prince’s mansion as subordinates would make it difficult for any emperor. Mo Jingqi himself has ambitions as high as heaven yet clearly knows his abilities are merely average. It’s no wonder he’s gone mad.” Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, “As emperor, Mo Jingqi harmed the Mo Army for personal gain – are you saying that was right?” The Southern Pacification King smiled and shook his head, “You could say it was right, you could say it was wrong. The Ding Prince’s mansion was far more frightening in Mo Jingqi’s eyes than Northern Rong or Xiling. We would need years of bitter warfare to invade Da Chu, and apart from Nanzhao, the three nations’ strengths aren’t that different. But the Ding Prince’s mansion was different – take Mo Liufang for example. With his prestige back then, if he had shown even the slightest inclination toward becoming emperor, don’t you believe countless people would have immediately rushed to support him as emperor? Such a person… who could take all of Da Chu without shedding blood – do you think he was more frightening, or are Northern Rong and our Xiling more frightening?”
“But…” Lei Tengfeng tried to object. The Southern Pacification King cut him off, “Were you going to say that Mo Liufang and the Ding Prince’s mansion had no ambition to rule the world?” Lei Tengfeng hesitated but still nodded. The Southern Pacification King smiled, “If you were Mo Jingqi, would you truly believe that such an existence as the Ding Prince’s mansion wouldn’t pose a threat to you?”
Lei Tengfeng frowned in thought, completely putting himself in Mo Jingqi’s position for quite a while. When he finally looked up, his face was ashen and covered in sweat. The Southern Pacification King smiled knowingly and said, “Do you understand now? The Ding Prince’s mansion’s fault wasn’t that they had ambition, but that they were too powerful. No emperor could tolerate such an existence. How could one allow others to sleep beside one’s bed? If the emperor himself were strong enough, he could carefully maintain balance or even suppress them. But alas… the Da Chu royal family grew weaker with each generation, while Mo Langyu’s descendants grew stronger. This is probably fate.”
Lei Tengfeng bowed his head and said, “Thank you for your guidance, Father. I thought too simply.”
The Southern Pacification King sighed lightly, “You’re still young.” Though he said this, he couldn’t help feeling some regret. Though Tengfeng was about the same age as Mo Xiuyao, his abilities and influence were far behind Mo Xiuyao’s. It wasn’t that his son wasn’t excellent, but that Mo Xiuyao was too exceptional.
“Father, Mo Xiuyao’s actions…” Lei Tengfeng frowned, “It seems Mo Xiuyao has no plans to ascend the throne as emperor.”
The Southern Pacification King nodded, “If he had planned to ascend the throne, we would have come here for his coronation ceremony rather than the Ding Prince heir’s full-month celebration. This is also Mo Xiuyao’s cleverness – you’ll see, after the news from Ruyang City spreads these next few days, all of Da Chu’s sentiment will immediately turn toward the Ding Prince’s mansion. But if Mo Xiuyao were to declare himself emperor at this time, it would be entirely different. Too much of anything is as bad as too little. This also shows that Mo Xiuyao not only has outstanding ability but also sufficient patience. Not everyone in this world can withstand the temptation of the throne.”
Lei Tengfeng fell silent. History books recorded countless people who declared themselves kings and emperors while occupying tiny territories, only to be seen as ridiculous jokes by later generations. But if truly placed in that situation, how many could resist the temptation of the throne? Lei Tengfeng knew that at least he couldn’t.
“Should we take this opportunity to deploy troops…”
The Southern Pacification King raised his hand and said, “Send orders back – all Xiling border troops are to withdraw thirty li.”
Lei Tengfeng didn’t understand, “Father?”
The Southern Pacification King said in a deep voice, “We will negotiate peace with Mo Xiuyao.” Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, “Mo Xiuyao’s actions will surely enrage Mo Jingqi. Once Mo Jingqi sends troops to the northwest, wouldn’t it be perfect for Xiling to take advantage of the situation? Why does Father want to negotiate peace with Mo Xiuyao?” The Southern Pacification King sneered disdainfully, “You think Mo Jingqi dares to move against Mo Xiuyao? If he had that courage, he wouldn’t have waited until today. Even before Mo Xiuyao established the new reign title, what difference did it make? The Mo Army’s occupation of the northwest was already a fact – Mo Jingqi had no shortage of reasons to send troops to suppress them, but did you see him dare to do it? At most, he’ll send some troops for show, and Mo Xiuyao won’t bother with him for now. When the Mo Army turns around, we’ll be the ones they deal with.”
Lei Tengfeng said, “Our Xiling doesn’t fear the Mo Army.”
The Southern Pacification King smiled and said, “True, we don’t fear the Mo Army. Even if the Mo Army is formidable, they couldn’t sweep through Xiling with just the northwest’s strength. But if Northern Rong and Nanzhao also get involved, are you still unafraid?” Nobody was easy to deal with, and taking advantage of chaos wasn’t something only they knew how to do.
Lei Tengfeng fell silent.